


Learn You

by thewriterinpink



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, Developing Relationship, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fluff, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Prompt Fic, Trope Bingo Round 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23050564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriterinpink/pseuds/thewriterinpink
Summary: Ingrid is busy studying when Dorothea, as she had been doing for the past week, wheedles her into a walk and rest in the gardens. Although Ingrid wants to deny her, she finds she can't and perhaps she might want to get to know Dorothea too.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Kudos: 33
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	Learn You

**Author's Note:**

> My fill for the prompt 'Indoor/Outdoor' for [my card](https://thewriterinpink.dreamwidth.org/1099.html) at dreamwidth's Trope Bingo.

Ingrid paused in her study as a dark shade fell over her. Without looking up, she had a strong estimate on who it would be—the same person who had been coming to pester her every day the past week. She stifled a sigh and wondered if ignoring Dorothea would lead to a positive result, but she both knew that the opera singer would let up for nothing and that she was far too weak to the woman’s charms to give her the cold shoulder.

Giving up before she could even try, Ingrid chanced a glance at her intruder. Dorothea stood over her, smiling pleasantly and waiting patiently.

“Hello, Ingrid,” she said, leaning slightly against the edge of the table Ingrid was sat at. “You’ve been here quite awhile, you know. Come with me on a walk, pretty please?”

Ingrid lent back in her chair, pursing her lips slowly. The request was innocent enough, but this was not the first time this had been asked, no not at all. The naturally sweet tone of Dorothea’s voice beckoned her away from the dreariness of working, but her desire to become better at her craft made her stand her ground, even if she already knew it was pointless.

“I have a lot more to get through.” She gestured toward the multiple textbooks and the papers she had jotted important information on. She sharpened her gaze more shrewdly, searching for answers in Dorothea’s easy posture and attractive face. “Are you trying to make me fail my classes? Weakening the competition?”

For a moment, Dorothea’s brows only furrowed in confusion, but then she laughed, loud and bright and loosening Ingrid’s resolve. Why couldn’t she fight this woman?

“Oh, of course not! I’m not trying to get in the way of your aptitude. I’m only attempting to have a moment of time with you. Besides, it’s not good to coop yourself inside all day. Surely you’ll get worse at the reading if you keep at it for too long. How about a break?”

Ingrid hesitated. Her indecision was enough though for Dorothea to take it as confirmation that her suggestion had been agreed upon. Without warning, Dorothea came around the table and grabbed her arm, hosting her up to her feet and dragging her away from her work.

“W-Wait!” Ingrid said, mildly struggling to get out of Dorothea’s grip. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking you outside!” Dorothea cheerfully explained. “Do you even know what it’s like out there anymore? You’ve been here for ages! Oh, just an hour and you’ll thank me! Promise.”  
  


They left the library and made their way down the corridor, toward the stairs. If Ingrid wanted to put a stop to this, she could definitely pull away and give Dorothea a talking-to, demanding she stopped with this madness. Ask Dorothea why she was so hung up on her of all people. They weren’t even in the same class or had the same teacher. She could label them more like acquaintances than as actual friends, yet Dorothea treated her as though she wanted that to be different. What had changed for that to be true?

Unlike her desire to stop Dorothea in her tracks, her curiosity and genuine aches after hours of sitting swayed her to not do so effortlessly. Perhaps a walk in the dwindling sunshine could be good for her—it was an idea worth pursuing. It wasn’t Dorothea’s smile or enthusiasm that did her in, in the end, that would be silly. It was simply practical.

The sun was warm and a small breeze refreshing. Ingrid couldn’t help but bask in it. Her shoulders relaxed and a sense of calm settled over her. Dorothea looped her arm with Ingrid’s and they began to walk, catching sight of the other students as they went amongst their day with friends or hurried off alone. They even spotted Professor Byleth very early in their travels, her lack of expression tilting into something resembling a smile when she saw them, but clearly in a rush, she was gone around the corner a second later. Always not a moment to spare.

Ingrid looked over and noticed the worry in Dorothea’s face. It seemed everyone’s condition had become Dorothea’s priority. It was sweet, in a way, how dedicated she was over people she cared about as to check on their well being. Ingrid should be uncomfortable to be part of that, they weren’t that close, but all it did was make a soft warmth blossom in her chest. She ignored it the best she could.

Flowers were blooming in the gardens. They settled on a bench to view them and at this point, Ingrid didn’t know what to do. Walking gave her a task to focus on, but now that they had stopped moving, her mouth needed to take on the job of entertaining Dorothea, but she didn’t know what she could possibly say. There was a lot she didn’t know about Dorothea, but nothing she was willing to indulge herself in exploring.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Dorothea said, interrupting her uncertain thoughts. “So many flowers. It’s good that they’re there to spruce the place up. I dread to think how dull this place would be without them.”

Ingrid nodded, studying the many different kinds in her line of sight. The work she had left in the library was far away in her mind now—all she could focus on was this moment, the gentle presence of Dorothea at her side, their arms still intertwined. The scent of the flowers carried over to them gradually, a pleasant aroma. It was a good place, but Dorothea had been taking her here every day, making its novelty ware off. She liked it though. She even might have liked the company more, but she wouldn’t say that aloud.

“Ooooh, I have a grand idea!” Dorothea said suddenly, shaking her shoulder a bit. “We should come out here for a picnic, just you and me. How does that sound? We’ve already had tea out here before, it wouldn’t be too absurd, would it?”

Ingrid opened her mouth, ready to deny Dorothea and move on. Unfortunately, she caught Dorothea’s eyes, how they seemed to sparkle entirely on their own. Her grin was contagious and so was her mood. This looked like something Dorothea wanted to do earnestly and Ingrid couldn’t find it in her to say no.

Instead, she smiled modestly and said, “That does sound interesting. Who would make the meals? I do know a few recipes.”

“In that case,” Dorothea started, “we should make a whole day out of it! You and I could cook together, making our best dishes, and then we can come out here and eat amongst the flowers. Hmm, what do you say? Does that appeal to you?”

It sounded like a lot of unnecessary work. She had other stuff she needed to do, training and studying to get in as much as she could, and she couldn’t afford to waste time cooking with Dorothea. Except it probably would be fun and a part of her was curious to see Dorothea in the kitchen—they had never crossed paths in the kitchen before in their assigned jobs by the professors. She had a feeling Dorothea would be electrifying in the kitchen, full of energy and spirit. Whether what she cooked would be any good could be Ingrid's chance to find out.

“I...” Ingrid swallowed, not being able to look at Dorothea anymore. “I suppose that could be arranged. It couldn’t hurt to give it all a try.”

“Exactly! It’ll be very engaging. It’s sure to bring us closer. Cooking together is such a great bonding experience, I’ve found.”

Ingrid’s brows pinched and she couldn’t prevent the words from leaving her throat.

“Why? Why do you want us to be closer? I know you have plenty of other friends to go and do this with. Why me?”

“Why you?” Dorothea echoed, visage surprised. “Because you’re special to me, Ingrid. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Are you saying that you don’t want to do the same?”

“That’s not it.” Ingrid shook her head. “I just don’t see what's so special about me. There are other people—”

“But they’re not Ingrid,” Dorothea said firmly. “I want to get to know you, not anyone else. That’s why I’m here and not somewhere else.”

Ingrid grew quiet at that. It was hard for her to comprehend Dorothea’s position, but it wasn’t like she could deny her own fascination with the opera singer who kept barging into her life. Maybe she wasn’t any better considering her poor resolve to deny Dorothea her time. It was likely she wanted to be Dorothea’s friend and learn about her too, it was just a surprise that it had happened at all. She hadn’t had any new friends since she was young, far too busy with her quest for knighthood.

And yet here was such a beautiful commoner girl, wanting to take a page out of her day to mingle with little old her. Of course, it was unlikely she would pass on this, no matter what she told herself.

“Alright,” Ingrid said, a smile tilting the corners of her lips in a way she truly meant. “If that’s what you think, we’ll cook together and have a picnic. I want to get to know you too, Dorothea, and become close with you. I’ve never said this, but... your walks have really helped my work. Someone like you would make a fine friend.”

Content by Ingrid’s new behaviour, Dorothea beamed.


End file.
